November 21, 2018

Hendrix Genetics awarded grant to improve African poultry production

Hendrix Genetics had been awarded a multi-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve poultry production in Africa, the company announced this month. 

The goals of Hendrix Genetics' "Sustainable Access to Poultry Parental Stock to Africa" (SAPPSA) project are to secure the supply of parent stock genetics to Africa and set up a breeding programme to further develop breeds for the smallholder farmers in Africa.

Raising poultry is an important source of income for poor, rural communities in many African countries, according to the company. In these countries, the smallholder farmers make an important contribution to poultry production.
 

In Ethiopia, for example, smallholder farmers are responsible for 90% of the egg production. Currently, the local indigenous breeds available to these farmers are very inefficient and less productive compared to other alternative breed options such as Sasso.

Unfortunately, smallholder farmers in rural areas do not have access to these improved genetics and are left to use birds that have low levels of productivity and high mortality rates, Hendrix Genetics pointed out. The company suggested that the access to an improved dual-purpose chicken could transform the rural poultry enterprise.

 
In relation to improving poultry production, established projects such as the African Poultry Multiplication Initiative are aimed at securing the chain from hatchery, to brooder units, to smallholder farmers. This initiative depends on the availability of improved breed parent stock genetics, where the SAPPSA project will help to fill this gap.

Naomi Duijvesteijn will act as project manager and will be responsible for the set up of the breeding programme. She joined Hendrix Genetics in September 2018, and had recently returned to the Netherlands after a two-year post-doc position in Armidale, Australia, focusing on the use of sequence information in sheep.

Louis Perrault, general manager of Sasso, will be involved by focusing on the planning and logistical process, leading to better distribution within Africa. One of the initiatives the SAPPSA project will collaborate with is "Poulet de Faso", an initiative founded by Ceva and Sasso, and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In this programme, located in Burkina Faso, a local sire line is bred with a Sasso poulet. The resulting day old chicks have the benefit of high quality genetics, are well suited for the African climate, and can provide a good income for smallholder farmers. All local members involved in the initiative will be supported with education on best practises for nutrition, housing and biosecurity.
 

The SAPPSA project will also include establishing a breeding programme where Hendrix Genetics will study and measure traits specifically for performance within Africa. This will ensure the bird is adapted for the local needs and environmental pressures so that these birds will perform well for a backyard farmer. With tailored breeds, farmers are then able to increase their income and grow their farm.

The SAPPSA project addresses issues such as supporting African farmers, many of whom are women raising small children, feeding the growing population with nutritious protein, and investing in the future of agriculture in Africa, Hendrix Genetics said.

- Hendrix Genetics